Our second bus tour day began with a long ride from Kilkenny to Blarney Castle. This morning’s journey allowed me to see some lovely Irish countryside full of cows, sheep, and hedges and gave me time to finish the New York Times crossword puzzle. When we arrived in Blarney our guide politely suggested that not everyone needs to kiss the Blarney Stone. It’s at the top of the Blarney Castle tower and getting there involves climbing through narrow passages and up many stone steps of uneven height and depth. We took one look at the stairs and decided the gift of gab was something we didn’t really need in our old age. Instead, we stood on the ground and looked up at the tower where we could see the more adventurous tourists bending over backwards to become more eloquent.

We spent most of our time exploring the gardens. Comprising about 60 acres, Blarney Gardens offers numerous walkways and paths through woodlands and garden plots including a poison garden and a fern garden and along several little streams and a lake. Paul had his trekking poles so we managed to visit a large portion of the gardens before we felt the need for a rest and some coffee.

Back on the bus, we headed for Killarney where we opted to take an optional jaunting car (horse cart) ride through Killarney National Park. Dennis and Henry, our driver and horse, took us along streets and narrow paths in the park, artfully dodging joggers and walkers, as Dennis pointed out flora and fauna including red deer and white tailed deer. It was a pleasant way to see some of the park.

After checking in at our hotel and resting a bit, we enjoyed dinner with two new friends from Florida with whom we discussed music, sports, children, and just a bit of American politics.

Tomorrow we visit the Ring of Kerry. We’re hoping for good weather.